Cartagena is located on the north coast of Columbia and about a 45 minute drive from Rafael Núñez International Airport. We chose to travel here as our first international post-covid trip. Our primary interests were relaxing and eating. This trip was taken October 2021.
Trip breakdown:
Our Columbia friend helped us plan this, specifically giving us both hotel recommendations. For once, Riki didn’t do exhaustive research to build this itinerary!
Part One – Cartagena
City, shopping and endless eating.
Part Two – Baru Island
Unexpected luxury.
Cartagena…
Day-by-day
Day 1
Cartagena
-Check in to the Casa San Agustin. This hotel provides an oasis right in the center of it all.
-Take a walk to familiarize yourself with the city
Day 2
Cartagena
-Take a food tour. We arranged ours with Kristy from Cartagena Connections and she also worked in some local shops.
Day 3
Cartagena
Day 4
Cartagena
-H
Day 5
Cartagena -> Baru
-There are three ways to get to Baru. From slow to fast: a boat (1 hr), a car (1 hr and bumpy ride) and a helicopter (18 minutes and fun).
-Check in to Las Islas. We stayed in a Tree Top Bungalow with a Jacuzzi. This hotel is the best value we have ever found!
Day 6, 7, 8
Baru
-Rest, relax, and put yourself on island time. We enjoyed taking the hotel’s boat to the private island and only one day were there several people there. We also made great use of the bikes, riding all around the resort.
-Visit the National Bird Sanctuary – make sure you don’t miss the bird show!
-Venture out at night to see the bioluminescent plankton in the water.
Tips
- Don’t over plan. I’m often guilty of this! The thing I enjoyed most about this trip is how relaxed it was. Cartagena was an easy and walkable city that needed little logistics. And while we aren’t typically a “resort” couple, Las Islas was a fabulous choice that didn’t result in us getting bored!
Nat + Riki 